On Friday, 73 MPs from almost all opposition alliances, including the Congress-TMC-SP-DMK, submitted a notice of impeachment against Gyanesh Kumar in the Rajya Sabha, accusing him of acting against the Constitution and democracy.
The notice, addressed to the President, makes nine allegations against the CEC, calling his actions shameful and claiming that he is acting at the behest of the Prime Minister and Home Minister, undermining the dignity of the top constitutional post of the Election Commission, and therefore, should be removed from office.
Amidst the ongoing battle over the SIR in Bengal, from the Supreme Court to the political arena, this is the second time in the past month and a half that opposition parties have resorted to using the impeachment motion as a weapon to corner Gyanesh Kumar.
Congress Chief Whip and General Secretary in the Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh, and TMC MP Sagarika Ghosh submitted this notice of impeachment to the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
Sharing information on this latest initiative by opposition parties against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Jairam Ramesh said that 73 opposition MPs have submitted a new notice to the President requesting the removal of Gyanesh Kumar from office.
This demand is based on proven acts and omissions committed by him on and after March 15, 2026, in accordance with Article 324(5) read with Article 124(4) of the Constitution.
It contains nine specific allegations against the Chief Election Commissioner, which are detailed and cannot be denied or suppressed.
Accusing the Chief Election Commissioner, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Gyanesh Kumar’s continued tenure in office is an assault on the Constitution and it is utterly shameful that he continues to hold the position to act at the behest of the Prime Minister and Home Minister. The opposition MPs have provided detailed evidence and context for all nine of their allegations against Gyanesh Kumar.
The first allegation alleges persistent bias in enforcing the Model Code of Conduct. Examples include ignoring complaints against the Prime Minister and BJP leaders and immediately issuing notices to intimidating opposition leaders.
The second allegation of bias was made by Trinamool Congress MPs. It includes insulting a delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs and telling them to get out of the way, and the biased and public condemnation of a recognized political party through a “straight-talk” post on the Commission’s official social media handle dated April 8, 2026.
It also mentions the inaction on a complaint regarding violations of the Model Code of Conduct during PM Modi’s address to the nation on April 18.
Another allegation describes the deletion of approximately 9.1 million voters from the voter list during the SIR in West Bengal and the disenfranchisement of approximately 3.4 million voters by judicial order as extremely serious, stating that this constitutes a conspiracy to discriminate and disenfranchise a large number of citizens.
Another allegation alleges deliberate inaction on specific and documented complaints of official bias, including the failure to act on complaints against the Returning Officer of Bhawanipur and the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal.
Defective SIRs in 22 other states and union territories, including Uttar Pradesh, are also among the allegations. Gyanesh Kumar has also been accused of repeatedly making adverse judicial comments in the Supreme Court and illegally abusing his power to direct the transfers and appointments of bureaucrats in Tamil Nadu without reason under Article 142.
According to sources, MPs from the Congress, TMC, Samajwadi Party, DMK, Left parties, Shiv Sena, and other like-minded opposition parties have signed the notice. This includes two members, Sanjay Singh and ND Gupta, who remained separate from the Aam Aadmi Party.
For the first time in the country’s history, a notice of impeachment against the CEC was given in both houses of Parliament on March 12th. But the Chairman and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha rejected the impeachment notice, terming the seven allegations made by the opposition against Gyanesh Kumar as baseless.